Deep brain stimulation of the nucleus accumbens for the treatment of addiction

UJ Müller, J Voges, J Steiner, I Galazky… - Annals of the New …, 2013 - Wiley Online Library
UJ Müller, J Voges, J Steiner, I Galazky, HJ Heinze, M Möller, J Pisapia, C Halpern
Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 2013Wiley Online Library
Despite novel medications and other therapeutic strategies, addiction to psychotropic
substances remains one of the most serious public health problems worldwide. In this
review, beginning with an introduction of deep brain stimulation (DBS), we highlight the
importance of the nucleus accumbens (NAc) in the context of the reward circuitry and
addictive behavior. We will provide a short historic overview of other neurosurgical
approaches to treat addiction and describe the experimental and preclinical data on DBS in …
Despite novel medications and other therapeutic strategies, addiction to psychotropic substances remains one of the most serious public health problems worldwide. In this review, beginning with an introduction of deep brain stimulation (DBS), we highlight the importance of the nucleus accumbens (NAc) in the context of the reward circuitry and addictive behavior. We will provide a short historic overview of other neurosurgical approaches to treat addiction and describe the experimental and preclinical data on DBS in addiction. Finally, we call attention to key ethical issues related to using DBS to treat addiction that are important for future research and the design of clinical trials.
Wiley Online Library